How to Set Up Jellyfish Lighting Zones for Every Room in Your Yard

What a zone actually is in the Jellyfish system

A zone is a defined section of track, made up of one or more physical runs, that the app treats as a single controllable unit. You can set a color for a zone, dim it independently, or schedule it separately from the rest of the house.

Zones are configured based on how the electrician or installer wired the track back to the controller, so the split happens at the hardware level first and gets labeled in the app second.

This is different from just picking different colors along one continuous run, since true zones can run on entirely separate schedules, not just separate colors within the same schedule.

Planning zones before installation day

The best time to think about zones is during the site walk, before any track goes up. If you know you want your front elevation to run holiday colors while a back patio area stays warm white year-round, mention that up front.

Common natural splits include front of house versus back, upper roofline versus lower porch roof, and separate structures like a detached garage or pergola. Each of these can become its own zone with a little planning.

Homes with architectural features like a portico or bay window sometimes benefit from a dedicated small zone just for that feature, so it can be highlighted independently during scenes.

Common zone layouts homeowners choose

Front and back zones are the most requested split, since the areas serve different purposes. A front zone often stays more conservative for street-facing curb appeal, while a back patio zone can run brighter colors for entertaining without being visible from the road.

Multi-story homes sometimes zone by level, letting a lower porch roof run a different scene than the main upper roofline. This is useful for homes with a wraparound porch that visually reads as a separate element.

Detached structures like garages, gazebos, or pool houses are usually wired as their own zone since they may need a separate power run anyway.

• Front versus back of the house
• Upper roofline versus lower porch or bay window
• Main house versus detached garage or structure
• Architectural accent features as their own small zone
• Patio or entertaining area separate from street-facing elevations

Setting up and naming zones in the app

Once installed, the app shows your zones as separate tiles or groups, which you can rename to match how you think about your house, like 'Front' or 'Patio' rather than generic labels. Clear naming makes scene building much faster later.

You can assign different scenes to each zone and save combinations as a whole-house preset, so tapping one button runs the front in warm white and the patio in a color scene simultaneously.

For more on building out scene presets across zones for different seasons, see our guide on Jellyfish lighting scenes and presets.

Avoiding awkward transitions between zones

The most common zone mistake is splitting a run in a spot where two colors meet in a visually awkward place, like the middle of a straight roofline instead of at a natural corner or structural break. Planning the split at a corner keeps the transition looking intentional.

Sightlines matter too. If your patio and front zones are both visible from a common vantage point, like the street or a neighbor's yard, running clashing colors at once can look unplanned rather than deliberate.

A quick walk around the property during planning, checking where each zone will be visible from, prevents most of these issues before installation.

Zones for practical needs beyond aesthetics

Zones are not just for color variety. Some homeowners use a security-focused zone near entry points that runs brighter white on its own schedule, independent of decorative color changes elsewhere.

Rear zones near bedrooms sometimes get scheduled to turn off earlier than front zones to avoid light spilling into windows, while front zones stay on later for visibility and curb appeal.

Because zones can run independent schedules, this kind of practical customization does not require sacrificing the decorative scenes you want elsewhere on the house.

Frequently asked questions